Engine-starter.



T. J. GRAY. ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 1913.

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l T. J. GRAY.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2B,1913.

1,081,268 Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS-J GRAY, OF INDI AN'APOLIS, INDIANA, :ASfiGNORTO ENGJENE STARTER COMPANY, OF INDIANAIOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

ENGIN'E STARTER.

PatentedDec.9,1913.

Original application filed'March 25, 1913,.Serisi1 No. 756,702. Divided and this application filed August 28,

1913. Serial No. 787,225.

To all whom it may concern:

State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine-Start ers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is division of my original application, Serial No. 756,702, filed March 25, 1913.

This invention relates to means for con necting a driving shaft, such as the armature shaft of an electric motor, with a driven shaft, by means of a speed-reducing gearing, and to means for connecting the driven shaft with the crank-shaft of an internal combustion engine, and to means for automatically coupling and uncoupling the mechanism somewhere between the driving shaft and the crank-shaft.

The object of the invention is to release or uncouple the speed-reducing gearing from the crank-shaft, when the engine gets to racing as most internal combustion engines frequently do, and thus avoid injury on such occasions to the speed-reducing gearing.

I accomplish the above objects and other objects which will hereinafter appear, by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel is a diagrammatic view showing portions of an electric motor, and of an internal combustion engine with my im proved mechanism applied thereto, the major portion of the latter being shown in section. Fig. 2. is a cross section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 is a section in the same plane looking in the opposite direction from that indicated by the arrow. Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the driving wheel of my improvedgravity clutch broken away in part and showing its shaft in cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of. Fig. 6, and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4 showing the centrifugal clutch mechanism in the hub of the driving wheel.

Likecharacters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

13 is the crank-shaft of an internal combustion cngiiie of any usual and well known REISSUED construction of which 14 are the cylinders and 15 the connecting rods.

17 mounted on a shaft 18, and 1 is an ex tension'of the shaft 18, normally separate therefrom and connected therewith by gearing hereinafter to be described. Mounted on the shaft 4 is the female portion 5 of a clutch which is secured thereto by means of a key 6. The shaft 4 is continued beyond the clutch portion 5, but is reduced in diameter, as shown in Figs. 1 and G,-and upon this reduced portion a gear wheel 7 is loosely mounted, but is held against longitudinal displacement on the shaft by the shoulder formed by the reduction in diameter of the outer end of the shaft as above mentioned, and a collar 8' pinned to the reduced end of the shaft on the opposite side of the wheel 7 from said shoulder.

The hub 9 of the gear wheel 7 is cylindrical in the general contour of its periphery, but this cylindrical surface is broken by a series of equidistant notches, here shown as four in IlllllllJEl.- One side of each notch is a plane along a chord of the circle of the periphery and the other and much shorter side is a curve. This notched hub enters a suitable recess in the adjacent portion of the clutch portion 5, which recess as to its major middle portion is round in cross section and of a diameter to permit the hub to rotate freely therein with a close moving fit. Extending out from this round bore of the clutch are a plurality of equidistant pockets 11. the outer ends of which are semicylindrical and of suflicicnt depth to receive rollers 12 entirely outside of the cylindrical bore of the clutch when the rollers are seated in said outer ends of'the pockets. There is one roller 12 for each pocket 11 and the number of pockets is greater than the number of notches 10 in the hub; in the example here shown in the drawings there are six pockets and the same number of rollers, and four of the notches 10. The shape of each pocket 11 is such as to permit its roller 12 to roll freely out of its semi-cylindrical ends into contact with the periphery of the hub S), and to roll into one of the notches 10, when one of said notches comes into register with the mouth of a pocket 11in vertical position above the axis of the shaft 4.

55 16 is an electric motor having an armature Under the conditions last mentioned the 9, and the above described shape of the notches and pockets, only one notch can come into register with'the mouth of a pocket 11 at a time, to permit the dropping of a roller 12 into locking position, and

when the speed of the shaft 4; and the above described parts mounted on it reaches aproximately one hundred and twenty revoutions pe'ininute, centrifugal action will throw the rollers 12 all out into the outer ends of their respective pockets and retain them there while that speed continues, thus releasing the gear wheel 7 and the mechanism drivingly connected with it. The teeth of the spur gear 7 are in mesh with those of the spur gear 19 mounted on the crank shaft 13.

20 is the head of the dynamo, and secured 'to it is a gear housing 21, which supports suitable ball bearings for the shaft at. The inner endof the shaft 4c is provided with a flange 22 to which a ring 23, having internal cogs, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is bolted or riveted.

Mounted on the armature shaft 18 is an eccentric 2% which rotates with its shaft, and mounted onroller bearings 25 on the eccentric 24- is a gear wheel 26 with external teeth meshing with/the teeth of the internal gear wheel 23. The wheel 26 is smaller in diameter than the gear ring 23, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, whereby only a portion of the teeth'of the two wheels will be in engagement at one time;

27 is a floating plate between the head 20 of the dynamo and the external gear 26. It has two diametrically opposite slots 28 to receive rollers on pins 29 mounted in the dynamo head 20, and it also has-two diametrically opposite slots 30 in a line at right angles to that of the slots 28,.to receive rollers on pins 31 carried by the spur gear wheel 26. This constrained and Heating movement of the wheel 27 allows the spur gear wheel 26 to adjust itself in keeping with the changes in position of the cam 24 on which it is mounted, without permitting the rotation of said spur gear. The difference in the number of teeth in the ring gear reduces the rate of travel between the motor shaft and the extension 4.

In the operation of my invention the wheel 7 is driven, at starting, in the direction of the arrow, by the motor,.and one of the rollers 12 will drop into anotch in the hub of the driving wheel, as shown at the top of the hub in Fig. 4:, and a lock will be formed between the male and female porimparted through the gears? and 19 to the crank shaft 13, and this will continue until ignition takes place in the cylinders 1 2 of the engine. \Vhcn that occurs the shaft 1- will acquire a greater velocity from the engine than it had from the motor and when the velocity reaches one hundred and twenty revolutions per minute, or more, the rollers 12 by the racing of the engine will be thrown into their pockets by centrifugal force, and out of bearing contact with the male portions of the clutch, or hub 9, and will remain there inert, automatically uncoupling the driven shaft and speed-reducing gear from the engine.

\Vhile I have described my invention with more or less minutcncss as regards details of construction and arrangement and as being enwodied in certain precise forms, I do not d sire to be limited thereto unduly or any more than is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary, I contemplate all proper changes in form, construction and arrangement, the omission of immaterial elements and the substitute of equivalents, as circumstances may suggest or necessity render expedient.

I claim:

1. The combination with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine of gear means transmitting power at a reduced speed from the motor to the engine to start theengine comprising automatic means operated by the speed of the engine to release the engine when the engine races and to connect the engine and motor when the latter acts as the driving agent.

2. In an engine starter, an electric motor having a driving shaft, a driven shaft, speed reducing gearing drivingly connecting the two shafts, an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft, means for automatically connecting the driven shaft with the crank-shaft, and for automatically disconnecting them when the engine is racin 3. An electric motorhaving a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a crank-sha ft, spccd reducing mechanism transmitting motion from the driving shaft to the driven. shaft, transmission means between the driven shaft and the crank shaft comprising automatic means for disconnecting the crank-shaft at a predetermined speed of the latte" and for automatically connecting the crank-shaft when the motor acts as the driver.

4:. An electric motor having a driving shaft, a driven shaft, an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft, speed reducing mechanism transmitting motion from the driving shaft to the driven shaft, transmission means between the driven shaft and crank-shaftcomprising automatic means for disconnecting the crank-shaft when its speed has reached approximately one hundred and tions of the clutch. Motion will thereby be 1 twenty revolutions a minute and for autotcrnal combustion engine having a crank-' matically connecting the crank-shaft when the motor acts as the driver.

5. An electric motor having a driving shaft, a driven shaft, an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft, speed reducing mechanism transmitting motion from the driving shaft to the driven shaft,'transm1ssion means between the driven shaft and erank-shaft and means connecting said driven shaft with the crank-shaft comprising a wheel loosely mounted on said driven shaft and having a peripherally notched hub, a female clutch member mounted in a fixed manner on the driven shaft and having a bore receiving the notched hub, said bore having a greater number of pockets than the number of notches in the hub, and a roller loosely mounted in each of said pockets.

6. The combination, of an electric motor having a driving shaft, an eccentric rotating .therewith, a driven shaft, an internal gear wheel secured-to the driven shaft, a spurgear wheel mounted on the eccentric and having teeth engaging the teeth of the internal gear wheel, means to prevent rotation of the spur-gear wheel while permitting gyration', an internal combustion engine having a crank shaft, and means connecting said driven shaft with the crank shaft comprising a clutch which remains leaked When the motor acts as the driver and automatically releases when the crank shaft becomes the driver.

i 7. The combination of an electric motor having a driving shaft, an eccentric rotating therewith, a driven shaft, an internal gear wheel secured to the drivenshaft,aspur-gear wheel mounted on the eccentric and having teeth engaging with the teeth of the internal gear wheel, a plate having a floating move ment without rotation, means to lock' the floating plate to the spur-gear to provide for a floating movement of the latter, an inshaft, and means connecting said driven shaft with the crank-shaft comprising a clutch which remains locked when the motor acts as the driver and automatically releases when the crank-shaft becomes the driver.

8. The combination, of an electric motor having a driving shaft, an eccentric rotating'therewith, a driven shaft, an internal gear wheel secured to the driven shaft, a spurgear wheel mounted on the eccentric andhaving teeth engaging with the teeth of the internal gear wheel, a floating plate adjustable in two directions at right angles to each other without rotation, means to lock the floating plate to the spur-gear to permit of a floating movement of the latter, an internal combustion engine having a crank shaft, and means connecting said driven shaft with the crank shaft comprising a gravityv clutch which unlocks by centrifugal action when the crank-shaft becomes the driver.

9 The combination, of an electric motor having a driving shaft, an eccentric rotating therewith, a driven shaft, an internal gear wheel secured to the driven shaft, a spur-gear wheel mounted on the eccentric and having teeth engaging with the teeth.

of the internal gear wheel, means to prevent rotation of the spur-gear wheel while permitting gyration, an internal combustion engine having a crank shaft, and means connecting said driven shaft with the crank shaft comprising a wheel loosely mounted on said driven shaft and having a peripher-- ally notched hub, a female clutch member mounted in a fixed manner on the driven shaft and having a bore receiving the notched hub. said bore having a greater number of pockets than the number of notches in the hub, and a roller loosely mounted in each of said pockets.

In witness 'whereof, I, have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, In-- diana, this 23d day of August, A. I). one thousand nine hunt red and thirteen.

THOMAS J. GRAY. [n 3. 

